法苑珠林 8
English (machine translation) 8
- Language
- English
8.1
Compiled by the Śramaṇa Shi Daoshi of Ximing Temple
8.2
Section Five: The Thousand Buddhas (This has fifteen parts)
8.3
Part on the Seven Buddhas
Part on Causes and Conditions
Part on Clan and Caste
Part on Descending into the Womb
Part on Emerging from the Womb
Part on Nursing and Upbringing
Part on Physiognomy and Divination
Part on Travel and Study
Part on Taking a Consort
Part on Disgust with Suffering
Part on Renouncing the Household
Part on Attaining the Way
Part on Turning the Wheel of the Dharma
Part on Nirvāṇa
Part on the Council
8.4
Part on the Seven Buddhas, Number One (This is divided into nine parts)
8.5
Part on Setting Forth the Intent
Part on the Time of Appearance
Part on Names and Surnames
Part on Lineage and Clan
Part on the Bodhi Tree
Part on the Bodily Light
Part on the Number of Assemblies
Part on the Disciples
Part on Duration
8.6
Part on Setting Forth the Intent, Number One
8.7
We have heard that the nine regions are differentiated, and the four modes of birth have diverse customs. The waves of delusion are easily defiled, while the karma of wisdom is difficult to establish. Long sunk in the river of craving, one drifts endlessly in the ocean of suffering; the tree of intention does not sprout, and the lamp of the mind has not been ignited. Therefore, the Great Sages of the three knowledges and the Perfected Persons of the eight liberations comprehend the entire dharmadhātu to constitute their wisdom, and span the entirety of empty space to form their body. Their form is nowhere absent, its measure far beyond all compass and square; their wisdom acts in all things, its function transcending the realm of thought. They cannot be fathomed by human affairs; how could they be restricted to location? If one wishes to open the hearing and seeing of the foolish, one must display the traces and shadows of the True Persons. It is like the valley wind answering the roar of the tiger, or the auspicious clouds following the soaring dragon; sympathetic resonance summoning each other is indeed a constant principle. Since the light was displayed at the deer tree and the radiance concealed at the Golden River, the beings of the Semblance Dharma have had a verification for their refuge. Although the thousand Buddhas have different traces, they share the single wisdom in the same path: their great compassion is impartial, benefiting living beings according to their natures and desires; their vast vows are magnificent, piloting the boat of compassion to rescue the drowning. When sentient beings have resonance, capacity and condition meet and unite.
8.8
Part on the Time of Appearance, Number Two
8.9
The exposition states: Now, relying on the single era of the Bhadrakalpa, it is divided into four periods: first, formation; second, duration; third, destruction; and fourth, emptiness. Among these four, the kalpa of formation has already stayed, and destruction and emptiness have not yet arrived. We are presently in the kalpa of duration, and therefore a thousand Buddhas appear. Broadly speaking, three Buddhas have already passed, and now is the fourth, the bequeathed Dharma of the World-Honoured Śākya. Within these four periods, each is divided into twenty antarakalpas, making eighty antarakalpas in total, which together constitute one great kalpa of water, fire, and wind, named the Bhadrakalpa. Among the twenty distinct antarakalpas in the period of duration, according to the Lokasthitābhidharma-śāstra, eleven kalpas belong to the future, and eight kalpas belong to the past. Now Śākyamuni Buddha attained Buddhahood within the ninth kalpa.
8.10
Question: In this Bhadrakalpa, Buddhas do not appear in the kalpas of formation, destruction, and emptiness, but only in the kalpa of duration. In this kalpa of duration, moreover, only eleven antarakalpas remain in the future. How can nine hundred and ninety-six Buddhas appear in the world at one time? Answer: Truly, the Tathāgata is difficult [to conceive]; the Buddhas of antiquity also presented such difficulties, and harmonizing the meaning is somewhat difficult. Now, relying on the Sutra of Bhaiṣajyarāja and Bhaiṣajyasamudgata and the Sutra of the Names of the Buddhas, the way can be broadly known. Let us first record the text of the Sutra of Bhaiṣajyarāja and Bhaiṣajyasamudgata, and afterwards cite the Sutra of the Names of the Buddhas to harmonize them. Kalpas have differences in length; thus the Sutra of Bhaiṣajyarāja and Bhaiṣajyasamudgata says: At that time, Śākyamuni Buddha addressed the great assembly, saying: "In the past, countless kalpas ago, during the Latter Dharma of the Buddha Prabhāprabhāsa, I left the household to study the Way and heard the names of these fifty-three Buddhas. Having heard them, I joined my palms and rejoiced in my heart. Furthermore, I taught others to enable them to hear and uphold them. Others, having heard them, successively taught one another, reaching up to three thousand persons. With different mouths but the same voice, they single-mindedly paid homage with reverence, and immediately transcended the transgressions of birth and death spanning countless billions of kalpas.
8.11
The first thousand Buddhas, with the Buddha Padmaprabha as the foremost down to Viśvabhū Buddha, attained Buddhahood in the Vyūhakalpa; these are the thousand Buddhas of the past. The middle thousand Buddhas, with Krakucchanda Buddha as the foremost down to Ruci Tathāgata, successively attain Buddhahood in the Bhadrakalpa.
8.12
The latter thousand Buddhas, with Sūryaprabha Tathāgata as the foremost down to Sumeru-kūṭa Buddha, will attain Buddhahood in the Nakṣatrakalpa."
8.13
If we rely on the Sutra of the Names of the Buddhas: Ninety-one kalpas ago, there was a Buddha named Vipaśyin Tathāgata. Thirty kalpas ago, there was a Buddha who appeared in the world named Śikhin Tathāgata. In this very same kalpa, another Buddha appeared in the world named Viśvabhū Tathāgata. Question: Are these ninety-one kalpas great or minor? Answer: They are mahākalpas.
8.14
Question: How is this known? Answer: According to the Old *Vibhāṣā-śāstra*, from Vipaśyin Buddha onward on the causal ground, Śākyamuni Bodhisattva planted the karmic causes for the bodily marks and characteristics down to the present ninth antarakalpa of abiding, which has passed through ninety-one mahākalpas. Therefore, the Old *Kośa-śāstra* says that through the power of his vigorous effort in paying homage to Tiṣya Buddha, Śākyamuni Bodhisattva surpassed nine mahākalpas and ultimately attained buddhahood. Thus we know that since the nine kalpas were mahākalpas, how could the remaining ninety-one kalpas not be mahākalpas? Furthermore, according to the *Bhaiṣajyarāja-Bhaiṣajyasamudgata Sūtra*, in each of the Vyūhakalpa, the Bhadrakalpa, and the Nakṣatrakalpa, one thousand buddhas appear in the world; thus we know that these kalpas are also great asaṃkhyeyakalpas. Moreover, in the *Bhaiṣajyarāja Sūtra*, [it says that] if good men, good women, or any other sentient beings hear the names of these fifty-three buddhas, they will not fall into the evil destinies for hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of asaṃkhyeyakalpas. Following the force of this text, they are successively called the Vyūhakalpa, Bhadrakalpa, Nakṣatrakalpa, and so forth, in each of which one thousand buddhas appear in the world. Thus we know that these exceed mahākalpas and are asaṃkhyeyakalpas. Down to the present Bhadrakalpa, the appearance of the four buddhas in the world is likewise during an asaṃkhyeyakalpa, not merely within an antarakalpa of abiding. Since they are mahākalpas, there is no doubt about the appearance of one thousand buddhas in the Bhadrakalpa. Furthermore, the *Dīrghāgama* says that ninety-one kalpas ago there was a buddha named Vipaśyin; further, thirty-one kalpas ago there was a buddha who appeared in the world named Śikhin; further, thirty-one kalpas ago there was a buddha who appeared in the world named Viśvabhū. As for these buddhas Śikhin and Viśvabhū, according to the *Buddhanāma Sūtra*, two buddhas appeared in the world in the very same kalpa without distinction. Perhaps the translator of the *Āgama* erred regarding these thirty-one kalpas. Furthermore, another explanation states: According to the *Lokasthitābhidharma-śāstra*, of the twenty antarakalpas of abiding, eight kalpas have passed, and three buddhas have already appeared in the world. Śākyamuni is due to appear in the world now, in the ninth kalpa. That is to say, four buddhas have already appeared in the world within the first nine kalpas. There are still eleven kalpas in the future; how do we know that many buddhas will not appear in the world? Thus the sūtra says: In some single kalpas, immeasurable buddhas appear in the world; in other countless kalpas, they pass empty without a single buddha appearing in the world. Applying this principle, even if many buddhas appear in an antarakalpa, it poses no contradiction at all. This is truly because the capacities of sentient beings are strong or weak; hence their experiences and visions differ. (This meaning is difficult to comprehend; it is left to later sages to investigate further.)
8.15
The commentary says: The domain and territorial boundaries converted and presided over by these one thousand buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa encompass the entire trichiliocosm, and the land where they dwell is the most central. Because the Buddha is the one who transforms others, whose mind is truly vacuous and centered, the persons transformed and the directions and places are likewise all central. Therefore, it possesses the vajrāsana; because other directions and other realms lack this seat, the Buddha does not dwell there. Thus the *Ruiying jing* states: 'This land is the center of the three thousand suns and moons and the twelve thousand heavens and earths. The majesty of the Buddha is not born in borderlands. If he were to dwell in a borderland, the earth would tilt on his account.' For this reason, the arising of past buddhas has always occurred here. That they all share this sympathetic resonance is indeed a clear proof.
8.16
As the *Dīrghāgama* says: Ninety-one kalpas ago, a buddha appeared in the world named Vipaśyin, when human lifespan was eighty thousand years. Further, thirty-one kalpas ago, a buddha appeared in the world named Śikhin, when human lifespan was seventy thousand years. Further, thirty-one kalpas ago, a buddha appeared in the world named Viśvabhū, when human lifespan was sixty thousand years. Further, in the past Bhadrakalpa, a buddha appeared in the world named Krakucchanda, when human lifespan was fifty thousand years. Also in the Bhadrakalpa, a buddha appeared in the world named Kanakamuni, when human lifespan was forty thousand years. Also in the Bhadrakalpa, a buddha appeared in the world named Kāśyapa, when human lifespan was twenty thousand years. Now I have appeared in the world when human lifespan is one hundred years, rarely longer and mostly shorter. According to the *Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra* and the *Kātyāyanīputra-śāstra*, Śākyamuni was due to appear when human lifespan was ten thousand years, but observing sentient beings, from ten thousand years down there were no faculties ready to be saved; only when they reached one hundred years were sentient beings urgently pressed by suffering and the kalpa was approaching its decline, so he appeared in the world. Thus the treatise says: 'At the end of a kalpa, a buddha arises in the world; at the beginning of a kalpa, a cakravartin appears.' The two differ, as explained below in the section on the cakravartin.
8.17
Section 3: Family Names and Personal Names
8.18
From here on, all is based on the *Ekottarikāgama* and the *Sūtra on the Clan Names and Personal Names of the Parents of the Seven Buddhas*. It says: The first was Vipaśyin Buddha, the second was Śikhin Buddha, and the third was Viśvabhū Buddha; these three buddhas shared the clan name of Kauṇḍinya. (The *Dīrghāgama* says: the first was named Vipaśyin Buddha, the second was Śikhin Buddha, and the third was Viśvabhū Buddha.) The fourth was Krakucchanda Buddha, the fifth was Kanakamuni Buddha, and the sixth was Kāśyapa Buddha; these three buddhas shared the clan name of Kāśyapa. (The *Dīrghāgama* says: the fourth was named Krakucchanda Buddha, the fifth was Kanakamuni Buddha, and the sixth was likewise named Kāśyapa Buddha.) The seventh is I myself today, Śākyamuni Buddha, of the Gautama clan.
8.19
Section 4: Castes
8.20
The first, Vipaśyin Buddha; the second, Śikhin Buddha; and the third, Viśvabhū Buddha: these three buddhas were all of the kṣatriya royal caste. The fourth, Krakucchanda Buddha; the fifth, Kanakamuni Buddha; and the sixth, Kāśyapa Buddha: these three buddhas were all of the brāhmaṇa caste. The seventh, I myself today who have become Śākyamuni Buddha, am of the kṣatriya royal caste.
8.21
The first, Vipaśyin Buddha: his father was named Bandhumat, a kṣatriya king; his mother was named Bandhumatī; the country he ruled was named Bandhumatī.
8.22
The second, Śikhin Buddha: his father was named Aruṇa, a kṣatriya king; his mother was named Prabhāvatī; the country he ruled was named Aruṇavatī.
8.23
The third, Viśvabhū Buddha: his father was named Supratīta, a kṣatriya king; his mother was named Yaśovatī; the country he ruled was named Anupama.
8.24
The fourth, Krakucchanda Buddha: his father was named Agnidatta, of the brāhmaṇa caste; his mother was named Viśākhā; the country he ruled was named Kṣemāvatī; the king was named Subhadra.
8.25
The fifth, Kanakamuni Buddha: his father was named Yajñadatta, of the brāhmaṇa caste; his mother was named Uttarā; the country he ruled was named Kṣemavatī; the king was named Kṣema.
8.26
The sixth, Kāśyapa Buddha: his father was named Brahmadatta, of the brāhmaṇa caste; his mother was named Dhanavatī; the country he ruled was named Vārāṇasī; the king was named Kṛkī.
8.27
The seventh, I myself today who have become Śākyamuni Buddha: my father was named Śuddhodana, of the kṣatriya royal caste; my mother was named Mahāmāyā; the country he ruled was named Kapilavastu; the previous great king was named Siṃhahanu. (Speaking comprehensively, there are four castes in all: first, brāhmaṇas; second, kṣatriyas; third, vaiśyas; fourth, śūdras. Thus the latter two castes are lowly and not where the Supreme Venerable takes birth; the former two castes are noble and truly where the Fully Enlightened One chooses to dwell and be born. Brāhmaṇas have pure and lofty virtuous conduct, while kṣatriyas possess majesty and grace extending far and wide. The *Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra* says that depending on what is esteemed in a given era, the Buddha is born among them. Hence Śākyamuni appeared in an obstinate and harsh age, taking birth in the royal caste to manifest majesty; Kāśyapa was born in a gentle and compliant age, abiding in pure conduct to exemplify virtue.)
8.28
Section 5: Bodhi Trees
8.29
When the first, Vipaśyin Buddha, attained the Way and became a buddha, it was beneath a pāṭalī tree.
8.30
When the second, Śikhin Buddha, attained the Way and became a buddha, it was beneath a puṇḍarīka tree.
8.31
When the third, Viśvabhū Buddha, attained the Way and became a buddha, it was beneath a sāla tree.
8.32
When the fourth, Krakucchanda Buddha, attained the Way and became a buddha, it was beneath a śirīṣa tree.
8.33
When the fifth, Kanakamuni Buddha, attained the Way and became a buddha, it was beneath an udumbara tree.
8.34
When the sixth, Kāśyapa Buddha, attained the Way and became a buddha, it was beneath a nyagrodha tree.
8.35
When the seventh, I myself today who have become Śākyamuni Buddha, became a buddha, it was beneath an aśvattha tree.
8.36
Now, embroidered rafters and red pillars are not the lofty traces of renouncing household life; shading beneath pines and sitting upon grass are the pure rules for entering the Way. Why is this? The world considers the bodily form precious, and therefore dwells in magnificent houses; the Way considers the household a burden, and therefore casts it off like worn shoes. Among all ordinary officials, who can awaken beforehand? Yet our Teacher of Taming was known as one with innate knowledge. Attaining the Way, entering nirvāṇa, initial birth, and preaching the Dharma were all done beneath trees; such was his intent. Those who shave their hair, remove their hairpins, renounce glory, and discard profit—how could they not look up with admiration and set their minds on this?
8.37
Section 6: Bodily Radiance
8.38
As the *Guanfo sanmei jing* says: The body of Vipaśyin Buddha was sixty yojanas tall, and his halo was one hundred and twenty yojanas. The height of Śikhin Buddha was forty yojanas, his halo was forty-five yojanas, and the radiance encompassing his entire body was one hundred yojanas. The height of Viśvabhū Buddha was thirty-two yojanas, his halo was forty-two yojanas, and the radiance encompassing his entire body was sixty-two yojanas. The height of Krakucchanda Buddha was twenty-five yojanas, his halo was thirty-two yojanas, and the radiance encompassing his entire body was five thousand yojanas. The height of Kanakamuni Buddha was twenty-five yojanas, his halo was thirty yojanas, and the radiance encompassing his entire body was forty yojanas. The height of Kāśyapa Buddha was sixteen zhang, and his halo was twenty yojanas. The height of Śākyamuni Buddha was one zhang and six chi, and his halo was seven chi. The bodies of the seven buddhas were all purple-golden in color. (Respectfully examining this: the Dharmakāya is equal, possessing neither superiority nor inferiority; it is merely that in accordance with the varying karmic capacities of beings, different transformations are manifested. For this reason, when Śākyamuni appeared, he was purple-golden in color, yet one thousand bhikṣus all saw a reddish-brown complexion, and sixteen faithful laymen everywhere perceived an ash-gray color. The difference stems from them, while the Buddha is eternally one. Speaking by analogy to this, there should be no confusion.) According to the *Maitreya-vyākaraṇa*, his height will be one thousand chi, and his halo twenty zhang.
8.39
Section 7: Number of Assemblies
8.40
The first, Vipaśyin Buddha, held three assemblies to preach the sūtras: in the first, one hundred thousand bhikṣus all attained arhatship;
8.41
in the second assembly of preaching the sūtras, ninety thousand bhikṣus all attained arhatship;
8.42
in the third assembly of preaching the sūtras, eighty thousand bhikṣus all attained arhatship. (The *Dīrghāgama* says: in the first assembly of Vipaśyin Buddha, the disciples were one hundred and sixty-eight thousand; in the second assembly, the disciples were one hundred thousand; in the third assembly, the disciples were three hundred and sixty-eight thousand.)
8.43
The second, Śikhin Buddha, likewise held three assemblies to preach the Dharma: in the first assembly of preaching the sūtras, ninety thousand bhikṣus all attained arhatship;
8.44
in the second assembly of preaching the sūtras, eighty thousand bhikṣus all attained arhatship;
8.45
in the third assembly of preaching the sūtras, seventy thousand bhikṣus all attained arhatship. (The *Dīrghāgama* says: in the first assembly of Śikhin Buddha, the disciples were one hundred thousand; the numbers in the second and third assemblies were both the same.)
8.46
The third, Viśvabhū Buddha, held two assemblies to preach the Dharma: in the first assembly of preaching the sūtras, seventy thousand bhikṣus all attained arhatship;
8.47
in the second assembly of preaching the sūtras, sixty thousand bhikṣus all attained arhatship.
8.48
The fourth, Krakucchanda Buddha, held one assembly to preach the sūtras, in which forty thousand bhikṣus all attained arhatship.
8.49
The fifth, Kanakamuni Buddha, held one assembly to preach the sūtras, in which thirty thousand bhikṣus all attained arhatship.
8.50
The sixth, Kāśyapa Buddha, held one assembly to preach the sūtras, in which twenty thousand bhikṣus all attained arhatship.
8.51
The seventh, I myself today, Śākyamuni Buddha, held one assembly to preach the sūtras, in which one thousand two hundred and fifty bhikṣus all attained arhatship.
8.52
The commentary says: The numbers listed above of those saved through the Dharma preaching of the seven buddhas are based on the Hīnayāna. When the Tathāgata first attained buddhahood, he initially converted non-Buddhists, turning them from heterodoxy into orthodoxy, and made the śrāvaka disciples his personal attendants; therefore, the figures were limited to this number. If we consider the Tathāgata's lifelong preaching of the Dharma to deliver persons of the three vehicles so that they could enter the Way, they were immeasurable and boundless. Thus Master Xuanzang said: 'According to the Western Regions, Śākyamuni's lifelong preaching of the Dharma comprises three periods in all:'
8.53
In the first period, he preached the Dharma of phenomenal marks for all the śrāvakas, in order to shatter the attachments of non-Buddhists and cause them to awaken and attain the Way.
8.54
In the second period, he preached the Dharma of marklessness for bodhisattvas of lesser practice, in order to shatter [the attachments of] śrāvakas and cause them to awaken to the Mahāyāna of marklessness.
8.55
In the third period, for the bodhisattvas of great practice, he preached both conditioned and unconditioned dharmas together. In order to break through [attachment to] both conditioned and unconditioned dharmas, he caused them to awaken to the Middle Way, the ultimate and complete teaching. In these three periods, he widely transformed immeasurable [beings] according to their individual capacities; or, hearing the Dharma from the disciples of the three vehicles in turn, those who attained the Way were as countless as specks of dust and grains of sand. This cannot be fixed by a single text, nor can it be confined to a single meaning.
8.56
Section 8: Disciples
8.57
According to the Dīrghāgama Sūtra, the Buddha Vipaśyin had two disciples: the first was named Khaṇḍa, and the second was named Tiṣya. The Buddha Śikhin had two disciples: the first was named Abhibhū, and the second was named Sambhava. The Buddha Viśvabhū had two disciples: the first was named Phussa, and the second was named Uttama. The Buddha Krakucchanda had two disciples: the first was named Sañjīva, and the second was named Vidhura. The Buddha Kanakamuni had two disciples: the first was named Upasanta, and the second was named Uttara. The Buddha Kāśyapa had two disciples: the first was named Tiṣya, and the second was named Bhāradvāja. I now have two disciples: the first is named Śāriputra, and the second is named Mahāmaudgalyāyana. (The names listed above mention two for each; this is based on the foremost among the śrāvakas, which is why they are specifically treated.) The Buddha Vipaśyin had an attending disciple named Aśoka. The Buddha Śikhin had an attending disciple named Kṣemankara. The Buddha Viśvabhū had an attending disciple named Upaśānta. The Buddha Krakucchanda had an attending disciple named Kṣemankara. The Buddha Kanakamuni had an attending disciple named Sotthija. The Buddha Kāśyapa had an attending disciple named Sarvamitra. I now have an attending disciple named Ānanda.
8.58
The Buddha Vipaśyin had a son named Supravabuddha. The Buddha Śikhin had a son named Atula. The Buddha Viśvabhū had a son named Suprabuddha. The Buddha Krakucchanda had a son named Uttara. The Buddha Kanakamuni had a son named Sārthavāha. The Buddha Kāśyapa had a son named Senā. I now have a son named Rāhula.
8.59
Section 9: Duration [of the Dharma]
8.60
According to the Bodhisattva-pūrvacaryā Sūtra, after the parinirvāṇa of the Tathāgata Buddha Vipaśyin, the saddharma remained in the world for twenty thousand years. After the parinirvāṇa of the Tathāgata Buddha Śrutavān, the saddharma remained in the world for sixty thousand years (another sūtra says Buddha Śikhin). After the parinirvāṇa of the Tathāgata Buddha Krakucchanda, the saddharma remained in the world for five hundred years. After the parinirvāṇa of the Tathāgata Buddha Kanakamuni, the saddharma remained in the world for twenty-nine days. After the parinirvāṇa of the Tathāgata Buddha Kāśyapa, the saddharma remained in the world for seven days. After the parinirvāṇa of the Tathāgata Buddha Śākya[muni], the saddharma remains in the world for five hundred years, and the semblance Dharma remains in the world also for five hundred years (according to the Samantapāsādikā, the saddharma remains in the world for one thousand years).
8.61
Chapter 2: Causes and Conditions (divided into three sections)
8.62
Section on Expounding the Intent
Section on Adducing Evidence
Section on Karmic Causes
8.63
Section 1: Expounding the Intent
8.64
Now, the thousand Buddhas mount the radiance [of wisdom], and the myriad spirits look up to their illuminating brilliance. Observing beings' capacities and adapting to their needs, the utmost sages manifest boundless grace. For this reason, the sage sets forth blessings to encourage goodness, and reveals misfortunes to admonish against evil. Petty people deem goodness to be of no benefit and thus do not practice it; they deem evil to be harmless and thus do not abandon it. Yet sayings about retribution of misfortune and blessings are regarded [by them] as flowery but insubstantial, whereas discourses claiming no benefit and no harm are believed and verified [by their shallow views]. Therefore, the Great Sage, moved by loving-kindness and compassion, pities their foolish delusions, broadly sets in motion the six pāramitās to guide the four modes of birth, and widely proclaims the two truths to halt the poisons of the three realms of existence. Thus, mounting boundless compassion, he responds to the capacities and conditions of the Bhadrakalpa.
8.65
Section 2: Adducing Evidence
8.66
According to the Five Ṛṣis Sūtra, countless kalpas long ago, there were ṛṣis living in a thicket of the forest. Four of them were masters, and one waited upon and served them, never failing their intentions. One day, he went far away to gather wild fruit juice, and by mistake failed to return on time. The sun was already at its zenith, and the four lost their meal; harboring resentment, they cast an evil curse upon him. He was consequently affected and died, and was reborn among humans. There was a brāhmaṇa skilled in physiognomy who divined that he would become a king; later he indeed became a king. The Buddha said: 'The king was myself; the four ṛṣis were the Buddhas Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, Kāśyapa, and Maitreya; and the brāhmaṇa was Devadatta.'
8.67
Furthermore, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra states: When the kalpa ends in conflagration, everything becomes empty. By the power of the merit of sentient beings, winds arise from the ten directions; blowing against and striking one another, they can hold up the great waters. There is a being with a thousand heads and two thousand hands and feet named Viṣṇu. From the navel of this being emerges a thousand-petaled, golden, wonderful jeweled lotus flower, its light blazing brightly like ten thousand suns shining together. Within the flower, there is a being sitting cross-legged; this being also possesses immeasurable radiance and is named King Brahmā. From his mind were born eight sons; the eight sons gave birth to heaven, earth, and people. This King Brahmā sits upon the lotus flower. Therefore, the Buddhas, conforming to worldly convention, are said to sit cross-legged upon a precious lotus flower to preach the six pāramitās.
8.68
Furthermore, the Mahākaruṇā Sūtra states: The Buddha said to Ānanda: 'Why is it named the Bhadrakalpa? When this trichiliocosm is about to form at the end of the kalpa, it is entirely a single expanse of water. At that time, the devas of the Śuddhāvāsa heaven, observing this world with divine eyes, see only one great expanse of water, and see a thousand lotus flowers. Each lotus flower has a thousand petals, is golden with golden light, blazing brightly and shining everywhere, its fragrant aroma delightfully sweet. Because the devas of the Śuddhāvāsa heaven see this matter, their minds give rise to joy, and they praise it as rare, [saying]: "In this kalpa there shall be a thousand Buddhas appearing in the world!" By this cause and condition, this kalpa is consequently named; it is called "Bhadra" (Worthy). After my parinirvāṇa, in this Bhadrakalpa there shall be nine hundred and ninety-six Buddhas appearing in the world, with the Tathāgata Buddha Krakucchanda at the head, and myself as the fourth; next Maitreya shall succeed to my place, and so on up to the final Tathāgata Rocana. Such is the order that you should know.' (Other sūtras give the name of the final Buddha as Ruci).
8.69
Section 3: Karmic Causes
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According to the Thousand Buddhas' Causes and Conditions Sūtra, at that time the World-Honoured One was at Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa in Rājagṛha. Coming out of a stone chamber, he asked Ānanda: 'What discourse are the śrāvakas and bodhisattvas now delivering?' Ānanda said to the Buddha: 'World-Honoured One, the bodhisattva assembly are each speaking of causes and conditions in past lives.' At that time, the Bodhisattva Bhadrapāla said to the Buddha: 'Today I wish to ask a brief question; I only pray that the Heavenly Honoured One will explain it for me.' When he said these words, eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas each removed their necklaces and scattered them as an offering to the Buddha. The scattered necklaces rested above the Buddha's crown, magnificent and wonderful to behold, like Mount Sumeru; there were a thousand transformation Buddhas seated within the caves of the mountain. Then the bodhisattvas said to the Buddha: 'World-Honoured One, what roots of merit did these thousand Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa plant in past ages, so that they were constantly born in the same place and shared the same household, and in a single kalpa will successively attain bodhi and transform and liberate sentient beings?'
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Then the World-Honoured One said to the bodhisattvas: 'I shall explain it broadly for you in detail. You should know now: in the past, countless hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of asaṃkhyeya kalpas ago, and even beyond that number, there was a world named Great Adornment, and the kalpa was named Great Treasure. There was a Buddha named Tathāgata Ratnadīpa-jvālādhipati. The Buddha's life span was half a kalpa, the saddharma transformed the world and remained for one kalpa, and the semblance Dharma transformed the world and remained for two kalpas. In the semblance Dharma, there was a great king named Prabhāguṇa, who transformed the people with the ten virtues like a cakravartin. At that time, the great king taught the people to chant the Vedic treatises. In the academy at that time, there were a thousand youths, each fifteen years of age, intelligent and widely knowledgeable. Hearing the bhikṣus praise the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṃgha, one youth named Padmottara asked the bhikṣu Subhadra: "What is meant by the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṃgha?" The bhikṣu replied:'
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'Having fulfilled the pāramitās, / awakened to wisdom with a pure nature, / and achieved the superior mind, / he is therefore titled Buddha. / Free from defilement, pure by nature, / secluded from the worldly realm, / not contemplating the five skandhas of the world, / permanently abiding—this is called the Dharma. / Body and mind are ever unconditioned, / eternally free from the four kinds of nutriment, / acting as an excellent puṇyakṣetra for the world: / therefore are they called the assembly of bhikṣu monks.'
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At that time, the thousand youths heard the names of the Three Treasures; each holding incense and flowers, they followed the bhikṣu into the stūpa to pay homage. Seeing the image of the Buddha, they threw their five limbs to the ground, and right before the image made a great vow, each giving rise to the mind of anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi, [vowing] that after the passing of countless kalpas they would surely attain Buddhahood, just like the World-Honoured One today. At the end of each of their lives according to their life span, by the cause and condition of the good roots of having heard the Three Treasures, they eradicated the karma of saṃsāra for fifty-one kalpas. After the end of their lives, they were reborn in the Brahma realm. Recalling their past lives, [they realized that] through hearing the names of the Three Treasures they were able to be born in heaven. At that time, the thousand Brahma kings each rode their palaces, bearing flowers of the seven treasures, and went to the stūpa to make offerings before the image. Then the thousand Brahma kings spoke in verse with one voice:
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'Great Fame of the Sun of Wisdom, / long abiding in the ground of excellent tranquility! / Hearing your name removes all evils; / naturally one is born in the Brahma realm. / We now bow down with our heads and faces, / taking refuge in the Great Liberation!'
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Having spoken this verse, they each returned to the Brahma world. Bhadrapāla, you should know that the king of that country who transformed people through the ten virtuous deeds long ago attained buddhahood: he is Vipaśyin Tathāgata. The bhikṣu Good Fame is Śikhin Tathāgata. How could those thousand youths have been other people? They are Kakusandha Buddha up to the final one, Rocana Tathāgata. Bhadrapāla, you should know that I, together with the thousand bodhisattvas of the Bhadrakalpa, first gave rise to the mind of anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi upon hearing the names of the Three Jewels in the presence of that Buddha. Such was that matter.
The Buddha told Bodhisattva Bhadrapāla, 'Countless asaṃkhyeya kalpas in the past, in this Sahā world there was a great kingdom named Vārāṇasī. The king was named Brahmaguṇa. He constantly transformed the people with wholesome dharmas. Handing over the state to his son, he left home to study the Way and became a pratyekabuddha. Leaping into the empty sky, he manifested eighteen transformations. At that time, a thousand Brahmā kings, each holding wonderful flowers in the folds of their garments, came into the udumbara grove to make offerings to the pratyekabuddha and said to him: "O Great Virtuous One, preach the Dharma for us!" The pratyekabuddha then leaped into the sky and manifested eighteen transformations, stretching out his hands and showing his feet. Among them, one Brahmā king named Wisdom Vision told the other Brahmās: "I see the pratyekabuddha upholding the five precepts; through the rules of precepts and fasts, one should practice the ten virtues and contemplate the links of dependent origination. Directing these roots of goodness toward the profound anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi, may I become a Buddha, surpassing pratyekabuddhas a hundred thousand myriads of koṭīs [of times]!"
After their lives ended, the thousand Brahmā kings became a thousand cakravartins over the four continents of the Sahā world, with a lifespan of eighty-four thousand years. When their lives were about to end, in the Snowy Mountains there was a brahman of great intelligence and wisdom whose lifespan was half a kalpa. In a previous scripture, he had heard of a past Buddha named Candana-alaṃkāra Tathāgata, who had preached the profound dānapāramitā for him—not seeing giver or recipient, his mind practicing impartiality. Having heard of this matter, the great seer came out from the Snowy Mountains, went to the thousand holy kings, and praised and explained the practice of giving. The thousand holy kings each entrusted their realm to their crown prince, left home to study the Way, and built grass huts in the Snowy Mountains to seek the unexcelled Way. They immediately obtained the five supernormal knowledges, flew and soared in the sky, and their lifespan was one kalpa.
At that time, in the Snowy Mountains there was a great yakṣa four thousand li in height, with sharp fangs protruding upward eighty li high, a face twelve li wide, and eyes spouting blood that gleamed like molten copper. Holding a sword in his left hand and a trident in his right hand, he stood before the holy kings and called out in a loud voice: "I am now hungry and thirsty with nothing to eat! May the kings take pity and bestow a little drink and food!" The thousand holy kings told the yakṣa: "We have vowed to give away everything." They each washed the yakṣa's hands with water, gave him immortal fruits, and told him to eat them. Receiving the fruits, the yakṣa angrily cast them to the ground and said to the holy kings: "My father is a yakṣa who devours the vitality of humans; my mother is a rākṣasī who constantly devours human hearts and drinks warm human blood! I am now in urgent hunger and need only human heart and blood—what use are fruits to me?" Then the thousand holy kings said to the yakṣa: "Among all things hard to relinquish, none surpasses one's own body. Today we cannot relinquish our hearts and give them to you." Thereupon the yakṣa spoke a verse:'
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'Contemplate the mind as lacking the marks of mind, / formed of the forms of the four great elements. / Only by being able to relinquish everything / does one correspond with the bodhisattva path.'
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At that time, in the Snowy Mountains there was a brahman named Raudrabhadra, who said to the yakṣa, 'I only pray that the great master will teach me the Dharma; I now do not begrudge heart or blood.' He immediately took off his unlined robe, spread it out as a high seat, and invited the yakṣa to take this seat. The great yakṣa then spoke a verse:
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'One who wishes to seek the unconditioned Way / does not begrudge body or mind. / Being cut to pieces and undergoing manifold sufferings, / one can endure it like the earth. / Nor does one see a recipient; / seeking the Dharma, the mind has no regret. / Holding back nothing at all, / as if putting out a fire on one's head, / universally relieving the hunger and thirst of beings: / only this corresponds with the bodhisattva path.'
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When Raudrabhadra heard this verse, his body and mind were filled with joy. He immediately took a sharp sword, stabbed his chest, and drew out his heart. At that moment, the earth deity welled up from the earth and said to Raudrabhadra, 'We only pray that the great seer will take pity on us and on the spirits of the mountains and trees; do not relinquish your life for the sake of a single ghost!' Raudrabhadra told the deities:
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'This body is like an illusory flame: / appearing, it is instantly extinguished. / It is like the echo of a shout: / once shouted, it responds no more. / The force of the four elements and five aggregates / has a momentum that does not endure for long. / Through thousands of myriads of koṭīs of years, / I have never died for the sake of the Dharma. / Now, for the sake of the Dharma, / I give my heart and blood in charity. / Be careful not to obstinately block me, / hindering my unexcelled wisdom! / Through the retribution of this giving, / I vow to attain the Buddha Way. / If later I become a Buddha, / I will certainly deliver you first.'
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Having spoken this verse, he lay down before the yakṣa, pierced his neck with the sword, and gave the yakṣa his blood, and then tore open his chest, drew out his heart, and gave it to him. At that moment, heaven and earth shook violently, the sun lost its brilliant light, and thunder sounded without clouds. Five yakṣas arrived from the four quarters, scrambling to tear him apart and vie with one another to eat him. Having eaten, they shouted loudly, leaped, stood in midair, and said to the thousand holy kings: 'Who can practice giving like Raudrabhadra? Only by practicing giving like this can one attain buddhahood!' At that time, the thousand holy kings, terrified and discouraged, no longer desired bodhi; giving rise to regret, they each wished to return to their countries. Then the five yakṣas spoke a verse:
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'Not killing is the seed of buddhahood; / a compassionate mind is the good medicine. / Great compassion is ever tranquil and safe; / in the end it is free from the variations of old age and death. / All who have received a physical form / fear those who kill and do harm. / Therefore all bodhisattvas / teach me the precept of non-killing. / If you now fear death, / you should constantly practice non-killing. / Why would you wish to return to your realms, / abandoning stillness to seek agitation?'
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When the thousand holy kings heard these words, they all fell silent. The Buddha told Bodhisattva Bhadrapāla, 'You should know that the first brahman who praised dānapāramitā was King Prabhadīpa Buddha of the past. Raudrabhadra was Dīpaṃkara Buddha of the past. The thousand holy kings who left home to study the Way, seeing Dīpaṃkara Buddha perform such austerities, gave rise to regret in their hearts and fell into the great hells for one kalpa. Although they fell into the hells, because the power of their bodhi vows adorned their minds, the fire could not burn them. From then on, they further encountered Bodhisattva Lamp Light King, who preached the Dharma for them and brought them out of the hells, extensively praising for them the thousand Buddhas of the past, from Muktikīrti-alaṃkāra Buddha down to Īśvararāja Buddha. When the thousand holy kings heard the names of the thousand Buddhas, they rejoiced and paid homage. Due to these causes and conditions, they bypassed the offenses of birth and death spanning nine hundred million nayutas of Ganges sands of kalpas. Bhadrapāla, you should now know: how could those thousand holy kings have been other people? They are we, the thousand Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa.'
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Section 3: Lineage (divided into four parts)
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Part on Stating the Intention
Part on the Royal Clan
Part on the Lineage
Part on Seeking Marriage
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Part 1: Stating the Intention
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I respectfully observe that what [King] Śuddhodana inherited stems from King Ikṣvāku. Sacred wheel-turners succeeded one another, their brilliance repeated over myriads of generations. Therefore Śākyamuni expediently responded and manifested descent and birth; once his trace was manifested, his lineage became celebrated. Thus, responding in Kapilavastu with a sixteen-foot golden form, he displayed the decorum of the thirty-two marks and governed the transformation of the trichiliocosm, taking pity on those swept along by the four currents and operating this boat of the six perfections.
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Part 2: The Royal Clan
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As the Dīrgha Āgama says: When heaven and earth were first formed, the devas descended, and ate the earthly essence, transforming into humans. Because disputes arose, the assembly deliberated to establish a leader. They selected one person who was from the most eminent and noble clan, appointing him as the ruler of the realm to govern the common people. This was the ancestral king of Śākyamuni (explained extensively in the preceding chapter on kalpa measurements).
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Furthermore, according to the Loutan jing: Later, there were other kings whose governance and transformation were inferior to the former kings, and their lifespans consequently decreased. Life began at eighty thousand years, and gradually decreased from generation to generation down to ten thousand years, and even to one hundred years. From the beginning of the kalpa, when there was a king named Great Person Marks, according to the Four-Part Vinaya, a total of 84,253 kings appeared in the world. Among them, there were specifically ten great wheel-turning holy kings who ruled over the four continents. The other kings beyond these cannot be listed exhaustively. For now, the names and surnames of the Tathāgata's seven generations of ancestors will be recorded in full below.
Thus the Five-Part Vinaya says: In the past there was a king named King Utkā (the Four-Part Vinaya calls him Ikṣvāku). This king had four concubine-born sons: the first was named Illuminating Eyes (the Dīrgha Āgama calls him Shining Face); the second was named Clever Eyes (the Sūtra calls him Consumer of the Multitude); the third was named Elephant Tamer (the Sūtra calls him Road Pointer); the fourth was named Nīla (the Sūtra calls him Adornment). King Nīla had a son named Udara. King Udara had a son named Godara. King Godara had a son named Śikhura. King Śikhura had four sons: the first was named Śuddhodana; the second was named Śuklodana; the third was named Droṇodana; the fourth was named Amṛtodana.
If one follows the Dīrgha Āgama and the Four-Part Vinaya, they all say: King Siṃhahanu had four sons: the first was King Śuddhodana, who had two sons (the first was the Bodhisattva, the second was Nanda); the second was King Śuklodana, who had two sons (the first was Devadatta, the second was Ānanda); the third was King Droṇodana, who had two sons (the first was Mahānāman, the second was Aniruddha); the fourth was King Amṛtodana, who had two sons (the first was Śākya, the second was Bhaddiya).
According to the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra, King Siṃhahanu had a daughter named Amṛtā. Amṛtā had a son named Śīvala. According to the Saṃyukta Āgama, the World-Honoured One's maternal aunt's son was the bhikṣu Tiṣya. According to the Fenbie gongde lun, Ānanda had a younger sister who left home to become a nun (her name is not given), who resented Kāśyapa for rebuking Ānanda as a child.
Furthermore, the Da fangbian jing says: Since the beginning of the kalpa, King Śuddhodana's lineage succeeded one another directly as cakravartins; in the recent two generations, they did not become cakravartins, but became kings of Jambudvīpa.
Furthermore, the Upāsakaśīla-sūtra says: 'I generated the resolve in the presence of the first Śākyamuni Buddha; fulfilled the first asaṃkhyeya [kalpa] in the presence of Ratnacūḍa Buddha; fulfilled the second asaṃkhyeya in the presence of Dīpaṃkara Buddha; and fulfilled the third asaṃkhyeya in the presence of Kāśyapa Buddha.' (The Abhidharmakośa-śāstra states: 'Meeting in reverse order Vipaśyin, Dīpaṃkara, and Ratnaśikhin Buddhas,' which means the three asaṃkhyeyas were fulfilled at the time of Vipaśyin. If spoken of in terms of being exactly fulfilled, it lies with Vipaśyin; if spoken of in terms of already fulfilled, it lies with Kāśyapa. The sūtras and treatises differ, but each is grounded in principle. Truly, it is because Śākyamuni's nobility is peerless throughout ancient and modern times that, having planted fortunate causes in past lives, he now receives this supreme retribution.)
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Part 3: Lineage
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As the Sūtra of the Twelve Wanderings (Shi'er you jing) says: In an asaṃkhyeya [kalpa] past, a bodhisattva was a king. Having lost his parents early, he yielded the realm to his younger brother, abdicated his throne, and sought the Path. Seeing from afar a brāhmaṇa whose clan name was Gautama, he followed him to study the Path. The brāhmaṇa said, 'You must cast off your royal garments, dress as I dress, and receive the clan name of Gautama.' Thereupon the bodhisattva received the Gautama clan name, entered deep mountains, ate fruits, drank water, and sat in meditation contemplating the Path. The bodhisattva went begging for food and eventually returned to his own realm. None of the officials or common people of the entire realm could recognise him, and they referred to him as the 'Junior Gautama'. The bodhisattva made a hermitage in a sugarcane garden outside the city (the Buddhacarita-sūtra says: 'An offshoot of the Sugarcane [dynasty], the Śākyas' king Śuddhodana was fully endowed with talent and virtue; hence he was called King Śuddhodana.' Examining this: King Śuddhodana's distant ancestor was a rebirth of Gautama; because in a previous life he lived in a sugarcane garden, the sūtra refers to him as 'an offshoot of the Sugarcane [dynasty]') and sat alone within it. At that time five hundred great thieves plundered palace goods and passed by the side of the bodhisattva's hut. The next day, those pursuing the thieves traced their footprints to the bodhisattva's dwelling, and they seized the bodhisattva. According to the law for robbers past and present, a wooden stake was driven through his body, setting him up as a sharp target, and blood flowed onto the ground. The senior Gautama saw this with his divine eye, flew over by psychic power, and asked, 'My son, what crime have you committed to suffer such cruelty? You have no descendants—how will your lineage be continued?' The bodhisattva answered, 'My life will end in a moment; why speak of descendants?' The king sent his attendants to shoot and kill him with crossbows. Gautama, grieving and weeping, took him down and placed him in a coffin. He took the remaining blood from the earth, rolled it into mud pellets, placed them into two vessels, and returned to his hermitage. The left blood he placed in the left vessel, and likewise for the right. The senior Gautama said, 'If this man of the Path was sincere in his resolve, the heavenly gods should cause the blood to transform into human beings.' After ten months, the left one became a boy, and the right one became a girl. Thereupon their clan name was Gautama, also called Śākya (Śākya is an honorable clan name of the Western regions). That the blood transformed into human beings was indeed an affair of past lifetimes; for fear of verbosity, the underlying causes cannot be recounted in full. Furthermore, the Pusa benxing jing says: Preceding the Ikṣvāku King (Sugarcane King) there was a king named Great Kuśa Grass (Mahātṛṇa). He entrusted the royal throne to his ministers, and surrounded by the great assembly, he was escorted out of the city. He shaved off his hair and beard and donned monastic robes. After the king had left household life, he maintained the precepts purely, was focused and vigorous, attained the four dhyānas, and fully achieved the five superknowledges, becoming a royal sage (rājarṣi). His lifespan was extremely long, until in his decrepit old age his flesh withered and his back bent. Though he leaned on a staff, he could not walk far. At that time, that royal sage had disciples. When the disciples wished to go east and west in search of food and drink, they gathered fine, soft grass and placed it in a basket, which they used to hold the royal sage, hanging it from a tree branch. Why? Because they feared that creeping insects and wild beasts might disturb the royal sage. After the disciples departed to beg for food, a hunter wandered through the mountains and wilderness. Seeing the royal sage from afar, he thought he was a white bird and promptly shot him. When the royal sage was shot, two drops of blood flowed and fell to the ground, whereupon he died. The disciples returned from begging for food, saw that the royal sage had been shot and killed, and also saw the two drops of blood on the ground. They immediately lowered the basket, placed the king on the ground, gathered firewood, and cremated the king's body. They collected the bones to make a stūpa, and offered various wonderful fragrant flowers to the stūpa, honouring, praising, and serving it to completion. At that time, from the two drops of blood on that ground, two sugarcane sprouts immediately grew, gradually growing tall and large. When the sugarcane was ripe, baked by the sun, it split open. One stalk of sugarcane produced a boy, and the other stalk of sugarcane produced a girl, upright and pleasing, without peer in the world. Then the disciples thought: 'When the royal sage was alive, he fathered no children. Now these two children are the royal sage's seed.' They nurtured and cared for them, and informed the ministers. The ministers summoned great brāhmaṇas skilled in physiognomy, instructed them to divine their marks, and sent them to bestow names. The physiognomists said: 'Because this boy was born when the sugarcane, ripened by the baking of the sun, split open, one name is Shansheng (Sujāta). Furthermore, because he came forth from sugarcane, his second name is Ikṣvāku (Sugarcane-born). Furthermore, because he came forth from sugarcane baked by the sun, he is also called the Solar Clan (Sūryavaṃśa).' The girl's causes and conditions were identical without difference; hence she was named Shanxian (Bhadra), and also named Shuibo (Water Ripple). The ministers took the boy born of the sugarcane seed, and while he was still young, they consecrated his head and installed him as king. When the virtuous girl reached maturity and was able to serve, she was installed as the king's foremost consort.
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- 法苑珠林 — 道世, Classical Chinese